"When you're older you'll know better than to work like that," Tired
Tim told him. "Why don't you do the way I did?" he asked. "I dug a
tunnel in the bank of the pond; and it's a good enough house for
anybody. It's much easier than building a house of sticks and mud."

But Brownie told Tired Tim that he didn't care to live in a hole in
the bank.

"Nobody but a very lazy person would be willing to have a house like
that," Brownie said.

Tired Tim only laughed all the harder.

"Old Grandaddy Beaver has been talking to you," he remarked. "I saw
him taking you over to the dam day before yesterday and telling you
where to work on it. Of course, that's all right if you're willing to
work for the whole village. But I say, let others do the work! As for
me, I've never put a single stick nor a single armful of mud on that
dam; and what's more, I never intend to, either.

"My tunnel in the bank suits me very well. Of course, it may not be so
airy in summer as a house such as you're making for yourself. But I
don't live in my house in summer. So what's the difference to me? In
summer I go up the stream, or down--just as it suits me--and I see
something of the world and have a fine time. There's nothing like
travel, you know, to broaden one," said Tired Tim.

Brownie Beaver stopped just a moment and looked at the lazy fellow. He
was certainly broad enough, Brownie thought. He was so fat that his